Ballon d’Or Awards LIVE: Start time and latest updates as Real Madrid ‘boycott ceremony’ with Rodri set to win
The 2024 Ballon d’Or winner will be revealed tonight with Rodri favourite to succeed Lionel Messi
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The 2024 Ballon d’Or ceremony takes place in Paris tonight when the world’s best footballers gather at the Theatre du Chatelet for a night of awards and celebration.
Real Madrid’s Vinicius Jr and Jude Bellingham as well as Manchester City’s Rodri are being widely tipped as frontrunners for the men’s award in a year where neither Lionel Messi nor Cristiano Ronaldo have been nominated. According to reports, Real Madrid’s delegation cancelled their trip to Paris at the last minute, after “leaked” results of the Ballon d’Or showed Rodri had received the most votes.
The female prize, named the Ballon d’Or Feminin, was won by Spain and Barcelona forward Aitana Bonmati last year and she is the favourite to lift the trophy again and become a two-time winner after 26 goals and 18 assists en route to winning the Champions League, three domestic trophies and the Nations League.
Two new awards will be introduced this year, with Men’s Coach of the Year and Women’s Coach of the Year joining a full slate of awards on an evening where legends of the game are celebrated.
Follow all the latest updates from the Ballon d’Or ceremony with our live blog below:
Alexander-Arnold sets Ballon d’Or goal
He won’t be winning the award this year - Dani Carvajal and Ale Grimaldo are the only full-backs in the running - but Liverpool’s Trent Alexander-Arnold has already set himself the goal of winning the Ballon d’Or in future.
“I want to be the first full-back to ever do it [win the award],” he told Sky Sports. “It’s only the morning after you retire that you’re able to look in the mirror and say, ‘I gave it everything I got’.
“It doesn’t matter how many trophies you win, or how many medals you’ve got. It matters what you give to the game and if you reach your full potential.
“[I want to be remembered as] a legend of football, someone who changed the game. That is the main thing that I have - ‘don’t play the game; change the game’. I want that legacy of being the greatest right-back to have played football.
“I have got to reach for the stars and that’s where I believe my ceiling can go.”
Ballon d'Or LIVE
Two more Premier League stars: defensive duo William Saliba and Ruben Dias are next out.
Feels likely we’ll see those names again a year from now, given how the top flight is going.
Ballon d'Or LIVE
An England men’s pair now: Arsenal’s Declan Rice is first up, placing 26th, and after his first full senior season it’s an incredible 25th for Cole Palmer.
Not a bad year for the Chelsea superstar, who went on to score in the Euro 2024 final of course.
Ballon d'Or LIVE
On we go then with the first few men’s nominees and their placings:
Joint 29th are Artem Dovbyk of Girona last season and Mats Hummels of Dortmund last season - both now of Roma.
Alejandro Grimaldo places 28th after a stellar year with Bayer Leverkusen, then PSG’s Vitinha in 27th.
Ballon d'Or LIVE
Well, on the back of that Wiegman comment about the awards taking place during a women’s international break, we can expect the Ballon d’Or organisers to get some further criticism here already and rightly so.
Those first ten female nominees have been grouped together, five in a single post - the first collection of men’s names coming through are individualised and with accompanying videos and so on.
Not quite the equity they seek to portray is it?
Sarina Wiegman ‘disappointed’ as Lionesses again unable to attend Ballon d’Or
England manager Sarina Wiegman said it’s “really disappointing” that the Ballon d’Or is again clashing with the women’s international break, meaning nominated Lionesses players will not be able to attend the Paris ceremony tonight.
Lucy Bronze, Lauren James and Lauren Hemp have made the 30-player shortlist for the Ballon d’Or Feminin, while Wiegman herself has been nominated for women’s coach of the year. Although James is injured, the Lionesses will be preparing for Tuesday night’s friendly against South Africa in Coventry while the Ballon d’Or ceremony takes place and neither Bronze or Hemp will be able to join the star-studded evening.
It will be similar for several other leading nations across Europe and Aitana Bonmati, the favourite to retain the Ballon d’Or Feminin, will be required to play for Spain in Italy on Tuesday evening.
Sarina Wiegman ‘disappointed’ as Lionesses again unable to attend Ballon d’Or
Wiegman is up for coach of the year while Lucy Bronze, Lauren James and Lauren Hemp have made the 30-player shortlist for the Ballon d’Or Feminin
Ballon d'Or LIVE
Chelsea’s Sjoeke Nusken is 25th, Bayern Munich captain Glodis Perla Viggosdottir ranks 22nd and another Chelsea player is just outside the top 20 in Mayra Ramirez.
Ballon d'Or LIVE
The full awards ceremony might be tonight, but the earliest placings are now starting to come through with a collection of men and women’s rankings being released.
When is the 2024 Ballon d’Or ceremony? Start time, venue and more
The 2024 Ballon d’Or ceremony takes place today, with the best in men’s and women’s football descending on the Theatre du Chatelet in Paris for a night of awards and celebration.
Considered the most prestigious awards showcase in the industry, this is a night for legends to be born, joining the likes of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo on the pantheon of greatness.
Two new awards will be introduced this year, with Men’s Coach of the Year and Women’s Coach of the Year joining a full slate that is headlined by the Ballon d’Or and Ballon d’Or Feminin being handed out.
Vinicius Jr, Jude Bellingham and Rodri are widely regarded as favourites for the men’s award in a year where it’s incredibly likely a first-time winner will be crowned after Messi and Ronaldo won 13 of the previous 15 awards.
Here’s everything you need to know:
When is the 2024 Ballon d’Or? Start time, venue and nominees
Vinicius Jr, Jude Bellingham and Aitana Bonmati are among those tipped to win during the star-studded evening in Paris
Men’s Ballon d’Or nominees
- Jude Bellingham (England, Real Madrid)
- Hakan Çalhanoğlu (Türkiye, Inter)
- Dani Carvajal (Spain, Real Madrid)
- Rúben Dias (Portugal, Manchester City)
- Artem Dovbyk (Ukraine, Dnipro / Girona / Roma)
- Phil Foden (England, Manchester City)
- Alejandro Grimaldo (Spain, Bayer Leverkusen)
- Erling Haaland (Norway, Manchester City)
- Mats Hummels (Germany, Borussia Dortmund)
- Harry Kane (England, Bayern Munich)
- Toni Kroos (Germany, Real Madrid)
- Ademola Lookman (Nigeria, Atalanta)
- Emiliano Martínez (Argentina, Aston Villa)
- Lautaro Martínez (Argentina, Inter )
- Kylian Mbappé (France, Paris Saint-Germain / Real Madrid)
- Martin Ødegaard (Norway, Arsenal)
- Dani Olmo (Spain, Leipzig / Barcelona)
- Cole Palmer (England, Manchester City / Chelsea)
- Declan Rice (England, Arsenal)
- Rodri (Spain, Manchester City)
- Antonio Rüdiger (Germany, Real Madrid)
- Bukayo Saka (England, Arsenal)
- William Saliba (France, Arsenal)
- Federico Valverde (Uruguay, Real Madrid)
- Vinícius Júnior (Brazil, Real Madrid)
- Vitinha (Portugal, Paris Saint-Germain)
- Nico Williams (Spain, Athletic Club)
- Florian Wirtz (Germany, Bayer Leverkusen)
- Granit Xhaka (Switzerland, Bayer Leverkusen)
- Lamine Yamal (Spain, Barcelona)
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